How to String a Tennis Racket
Tennis rackets are designed to endure intense stress and regular use and thankfully, knowing how to string a tennis racket is a relatively straightforward affair. While the frame of the racket is robust in its own right, it is the strings of your racket that are the most important element. If you maintain your strings properly, your tennis racket will perform much better on the court and improve your chances of beating the competition. You should think about restringing your tennis racket once or twice a year, although this can vary depending on how much you play.
Preparation
Firstly, you will need access to a stringing machine. You will find these machines readily available at most tennis centres, gyms and sports retailers. These venues will often offer a restringing service for a one-off cost, although it does make sense to purchase your own machine if you play tennis on a regular basis. The most basic of stringing machines will only set you back a few hundred and will quickly yield savings if you restring your racket regularly enough.
Once you have a machine at your disposal, you will need to prepare the new string. If you have never restrung a racket before, you may be unsure of how much string you need. Generally speaking, most standard rackets requiring a standard crossing pattern will require no more than 12 metres of string. However, it always makes sense to cut a little extra and give yourself some leeway.
Next you will want to prepare your racket for restringing. Use a knife to cut and remove existing strings from the racket. You may also want to check the racket grommets along the inside rim to see if they need replacing. You will then need to mount the racket onto the stringing machine. All machines should provide mounting brackets for easy guidance.
How to String a Tennis Racket
You will now need to select a stringing pattern. You can choose between a one-piece or two-piece pattern. Whatever one you opt for, you should be stringing cross strings from the head of the racket to the bottom. Doing so will present your racket from warping as you restring. You should focus on the main strings first. These are the strings that run along the longer axis of the tennis racket. Insert the tennis string into the holes found at the head of the tennis racket, before threading them down through the holes in the neck and back up again. You should continue this process until all the holes in your racket have been properly strung.
Once all of the main strings have been properly secured, you can release the tension rod. You can then securely tie the end of the string. If you find this difficult, use a pair of pliers to make life easier. Any excess string should be cut away.
You then need to string the crosses of your racket. Begin by inserting the string into the largest grommet, taking time to carefully weave the horizontal string under and over the vertical strings. You should be applying the same levels of tension used with the vertical strings. Continue threading until all the crosses have been properly strung. The final cross string should then be fed back through the main grommet and securely fastened to the main string with a firm knot. You can then release the tension and cut away any excess. The racket can now be removed from the mount.
